So He Does Have a Heart
by Zethen Delacroix
Summary: [VinTifa] Vincent comes to visit 7th Heaven for a drink. He sits there silently, making Tifa feel alittle uneasy. It also gives her the unintentional opportunity to observe him as well. What dilemma have they put themselves into?
1. Raspberry Margarita

_Author's note: I believe the nearing American release of Dirge of Cerberus is starting to get to me. However, writing something VincentTifa related is beyond me and seems random. Oh well. I am neutral with most pairings, though. Let's see what happens…_

_Characters within the story belong to Square Enix unless otherwise noted. Even though a fanfic can be a free-for-all at times, I apologize if my portrayal of their personalities are flawed. Please give feedback to possibly help me. Also hope that my "English isn't my first language" side doesn't show._

_Timeline of the story takes place after Advent Children though holds no actual background among the true storyline. Bare with me until I am comfortable writing this. This is my first FF7 based fic._

----

"Awright! Who was watching Marlene outside!" Barret hollered as he pointed towards his child's scraped knee. "I ask 'cause I sure as hell ain't likin' the sight of this! Not one bit!"

"Papa! I'm okay! It's nothing serious…"

Denzel tucked himself well behind a pillar and wall within the rebuilt 7th Heaven, afraid of the results of being found while Barret was still fuming. Tifa chuckled at the sight of the terrified boy, washing the glasses left on the counter by hurried customers…or scared away by Barret. Either way.

"Barret, you haven't reacted like this in a long while," Tifa noted, setting glasses within a cupboard. "Calm down. It's just a small scratch. Marlene is fine."

This silences Barret, a heavy sulk curving his shoulders as he took a seat roughly.

"Oh…fine. It's just a scratch."

Denzel sighed in relief, walking over to sit on a stool to drink orange juice from a glass Tifa had set for him earlier. Marlene took a seat beside him and giggled.

Tifa smiled as she wiped the counter. It was nice to see that Barret still cared for his adopted child greatly despite his work gradually drifting him away from her. These thoughts were soon interrupted by a hand clasping her shoulder gently. Her head jerks softly to see who was there.

"May I have a drink?" A resonating voice asked, the man taking a seat beside the two children.

"Oh…Vincent, of course," Tifa nodded, turning to prepare bottles to mix a drink for him. "Is there anything in particular you want?"

There was a pause of silence before he responded, placing a cell phone on the counter before he slipped off his leather glove.

"Surprise me."

"Oh! You finally have a phone!" Marlene chirped.

Vincent gave no acknowledgement to the child's reaction. Not a visible response, at least. To tease a little, Tifa offers him a blue raspberry virgin margarita. He gave the glass a quizzical stare before he pulled his cape's collar down to taste the drink.

"Mmm..? No Tequila?"

Tifa's eyes widen softly as if in disbelief.

"You wanted alcohol? Do you want me to add some?"

There was no response. Vincent simply unbuckled the top belts to his cape then continued to drink as if he didn't hear her. This irritated Tifa a tad, but at least he was drinking it.

_Pfft…Ex-Turk…he probably drank all the time during his days off over thirty-three years ago,_ Tifa thought to herself, her lips pushing into a soft pout.

Other than the soft buzz emitting from the conversations of customers in the bar, there was an unnerving silence soon after. Marlene and Denzel had ran off to play outside with Barret not too far in a distance to make sure that nothing happens.

To Tifa's eyes, Vincent looked like a mere bump on a log. A silent, drinking, bump on a log. No words. No eye-contact. Only quiet sipping. Nevertheless, she couldn't help but notice his entire face now that it was fully exposed for clear sight. His red eyes were narrow beneath his bandanna; both inviting and fierce at the same time to look at. Soft, almost heart-like lips adorned his pale, blemishless face. His jawline and chin delicately curved and complimented the soft, wide bridge of his nose. There was no other explanation to such facial features. Soft. If one were to observe enough, he was no such monster he came to believe he was. In fact, he was quite beautiful, yet still masculine at the same time.

"Tifa?"

Snapping out of her trance, she looks at him and subconsciously bat her eyes.

"Yes, Vincent?"

"Where is Cloud as of this moment?"

"Cloud?"

She looked upward for a second to think then looked at him as he began to resume drinking. She tried her best to hide her inner amusement to see that his lips were temporarily stained in a blue, almost an indigo shade due to the virgin margarita. It added to his nearly undead complexion, yet seemed to add appeal as well.

"Last I spoke to him, he left to check if there were any people left contaminated with geo stigma," she answered, "That was early this morning. He most likely wandered outside of Midgar by now. As usual."

"Ah. Very well."

Soon after, his attention fell to stare at the counter once more.

Sip. Sip. Sip. Silence.

Silence welcomed Tifa's ears yet again. However, she couldn't help but wonder. Why did he ask?

----

_I'm ending the chapter here. Erm…uh…enjoy! -Runs off to bed-_


	2. Goodnight

_Author's note: I'm a bit unsure of my category choice since I've realized that there actually is no humour in the story. At least, not yet. I seem to be going down a serious path so far, so…hm. I don't know._

_Characters within the story belong to Square Enix unless otherwise noted._

_PS: I need help on the title. I'm running a sad, sad blank. Nothing decent. Maybe when I write more chapters, a suitable title will come to me, I hope. I hope to write more before I return to the Philippines for a reunion._

----

By the time the sun had fallen from the sky to let night enter the skies, Tifa decided to close 7th Heaven early to catch up with old friends. Yuffie had been bouncing from corner to corner of the bar; whether it be poking at Nanaki or shoving materia at Cait Sith's face to annoy Reeve. Cid left early on the Shera to get back to his wife after he talked a little with Vincent to check on how he was doing. Nanaki later hitched a ride with Cid to get back to Cosmo Canyon. Cloud, however, was still nowhere to be seen even after several hours, which disappointed several members of AVALANCHE. Although, it was understandable. It couldn't be helped.

"Tifa?" Marlene started, tugging on Tifa's skirt. "Cloud missed dinner."

"I'll scold him later when he does return," she replied as she placed a hand on the child's head gently.

"Bah. I better get goin' now," Barret grunted at the sight of the clock. "Marlene, come over and give me a hug."

With a short, gleeful giggle, the little girl ran to her adoptive father and hugged him goodnight. He knelt down to return the hug then kissed her cheek. Soon after, he swept her up onto his shoulder then headed down one hall.

"I'll tuck you in before I leave. Time for bed."

"Aw, but I'm not sleepy, Papa!"

Denzel rubbed his eyes and followed not too far behind, Cait Sith riding upon his shoulders. Tifa watched them disappear into a bedroom then she looked towards a table. Yuffie was sitting beside Vincent in a corner booth, pestering him since he was the only one left in the bar area other than Tifa.

"Have you ever considered throwing this thing away?" Yuffie asked him as she pulled up a flap of his cape, pushing a hand through the fabric's many holes. "Yuck. I hope you wash this."

"Yuffie…" Vincent said without looking at her.

"What?"

"…go away."

With a pout, she got up then threw the cape at his face.

"The least you could do is get a new cape or fix the one you have. You look like a hobo. Can't even use it to carry materia around with all those tears."

With that, Yuffie stormed down the hall to look for Cait Sith. Tifa shook her head then smiled at the sight at this. She walked over to Vincent then slid over to sit next to him.

"Getting on your nerves again?"

Vincent adjusted his cape then leaned back on the cushion of the bench seat. Due to the lack of response, Tifa was ready to leave him there to check on the others. Before she could move, she soon felt cold metal curl around her arm. In response, she looked back at him, curiosity in her eyes.

"She only behaves this way since I screen her calls without response," he finally answered. "I told Cloud to speak with her about it, but it seems that she has no intention on listening. I blocked her recently and this has set her off further."

"Oh, you won't hear the end of it now," Tifa chuckled, sliding closer as he released her arm.

"I do not intend on blocking her for long. Only until she learns that it is my phone. She has no right to call it needlessly. There needs to be a reason and it has to be important."

Tifa's laughter was now a faint hum in her throat.

"What if she does it to show affection?"

"Then I should have told Cid to give her an hour long ride on the Shera…or at least long enough to make her pass out."

After his remark, he looked down at Tifa with an almost sadistic smile. She couldn't help but smirk in return. Cold, as usual, but she found his dark humour strangely…adorable, if not comical since he seldom showed this side of him.

Vincent's eyes wandered and observed Tifa for a moment before he rose to his feet to leave the booth, sliding past the table to stand at its side.

"Where are you going?" Tifa asked.

"Time may have stopped for me, but even I must take my leave for slumber."

"Then why don't you stay here?"

"There are no rooms vacant to accommodate my stay."

"Nonsense," Tifa gave a reassuring expression as she stood up to stand next to him. Placing a finger beneath her chin, she tilted her head to one side. "Why don't you take Cloud's bed for the night?"

Vincent gave her a rather puzzled gaze. He studied her for any signs of doubt, yet could find nothing to show backing out upon her word. Before he could give his utterance of refusal, Tifa grabbed his hands and took him upstairs, almost forcefully.

_What…what is making her do this…?_ Vincent thought to himself, his feet almost entangled within the tears of his cape at each step since his movement was restricted to hers alone. Tifa opened the door then shoved him inside before he could object. _Women…attractive and sometimes innocent…but once they're set on what they want, they cannot be convinced otherwise. Augh…_

Tifa closed the door behind her then went to the drawers to fetch him night clothes. Vincent felt secretively anxious to see her this way. She gave him glances every now and then to check his height and slender overall stature.

"Tifa, please…"

"If you don't stay here, where else would you go?"

"I…" He paused and was stumped. There was no real answer to her question. "I go wherever my feet take me."

She rolled her eyes then stood up to face him, placing a set of red velvet pajamas into his hands.

"Well then, your feet have taken you here. You're staying."

Vincent opened his mouth, but no sound left his lips as he lifted his right eyebrow and narrowed his left eye. He was whipped, so he made no further objections. He walked towards one bed then placed the garments upon it. Picking up the articles of clothing individually to examine them, his lips pursed as if either impressed or surprised. They were perfectly his size.

"I keep a pair for everyone just in case," Tifa continued, close enough to him that she reached up to unravel his bandanna. "Like them?"

He began to unbuckle his belts then folded his cape neatly once he slipped it off as she pulled the wrappings away from his head. His hair scattered in front of his face as a result.

"As red as the sins I carry in my heart," he mused in jest as he pushed the black strands away from his face. "They are acceptable. Thank you."

As Vincent began to undo the belts on his fitted leather jacket, he couldn't help feel Tifa's eyes fixed upon his body. This made him feel uneasy, yet intrigued, though he refused to confess this.

"Ahem," he shifted his eyes to look at her, tapping a foot, the plates of metal clinking indistinctly.

Tifa's eyes blinked away from his body, her cheeks developing a soft pink shade.

"Oh…right…right."

She turned away to gather herself her own clothes to change into then went towards the bathroom.

"Just tell me when you're done," she said before she closed the door.

A sigh escaped Vincent's lips as he let his upper half hang forward for a second. _It's just for tonight…_

While Vincent removed his clothes then set them off to the side individually, Tifa creaked the door open to a crack to watch. Upon earlier, her inquisitiveness had peaked, curious to see more. She did not know the reason why, but it couldn't possibly hurt to watch. _Despite his distanced demeanor…he is fairly endearing…_

His tall body was lean, muscles scarcely visible, but he was still far from lanky. He slipped the night shirt on then buttoned it vigilantly before he dealt with his pants. Unfastening more belts, he paused to look behind him towards the bathroom. Tifa silently gasped to herself, edging back to change her own clothes. Vincent's face scrunched slightly before he resumed.

It took him a few minutes longer than usual before he was fully dressed; given that he felt rather suspicious towards the movement and sounds the bathroom gave off. He didn't bother to detach his gauntlet.

"Alright. You may come out now."

Tifa obeyed and presented herself to him. She wore an almost fitted night gown. Well, fitted in all the right places. It was enough to bring colour to the gunslinger's pale face. She gave no visible consideration to his stare then sat down upon her own bed, flattening out the nighty. Her breasts gave a soft bounce responsively to her grooming. This made Vincent perspire a little, feeling the sweat bead down his hairline down to the back of his neck. To get his mind off her body, he turned and knelt down against the wall to connect the USB to his cell phone to charge its battery. After, he rose to make his way into the bathroom to splash water at his face and to brush his teeth with a toothbrush Tifa had provided him.

_I never had the pleasure of seeing Lucrecia this way…_

"It looks good on you, Vincent."

He felt the tiny hairs behind his neck rise to hear this.

"…quite. You chose well."

Once returning to the bedroom, Tifa was right there to tend to him and wrapped her hands along the golden metal on his arm.

"Let your skin breathe. You never seem to take this off."

She rolled his sleeve for easy access. One by one, she unlatched its straps slowly. Freeing the last strap, she drew the gauntlet away from his arm then placed it on the nightstand with care. He flexed his fingers a few times before he removed his left glove, placing it beside the other.

"That's better."

"I suppose…"

"Tch."

She nudged him playfully then returned to her bed. She stared dreamily at the ceiling as she lied down. He looked at her before he settled down on the bed provided to him.

"I hope you like the phone I helped pick out with you," she said, her gaze fixed upward as she reached to one side to switch off a lamp.

"Other than Yuffie, it has proven to be useful. I give you my gratitude," he replied, turning off the lamp on his side.

In the darkness, there was unnerving silence. Unknowingly, the two shared the same thoughts of "what ifs" and inquisitive desire. Neither of them acted upon their questionable yearnings and turned over to face opposite directions on the beds they laid upon.

"Goodnight," they both articulated quietly, though sleep was far from reach for either of them that night.

----

_Erm…whoa. This towers over the first chapter majorly. Give me a heads up if I'm becoming borderline M rated here._

_How am I going to break Cloud out of existence, I wonder. Oh, man. That's going to be hard._


	3. Breakfast

_Author's note: Thank you for the wonderful comments. It's what encourages me to write. Yes, my second language is English, but I have stayed in Canada for at least seven years now. I just noted that since in speech when I talk to family, my grammar tends to be less than pretty. At the same time, I hope my writing's English doesn't sound forced._

_Characters within the story belong to Square Enix unless otherwise noted._

_I changed the title to "So He Does Have a Heart." Is that more suitable? I still kind of need help with that._

----

Light showered Vincent's face as soon as morning rose. Unwilling to wake up just yet, he squeezed his eyes shut and made a move to turn over, but froze to feel a body close to him from behind. His eyes wandered down to notice a small arm hug him around his stomach. He sighed in relief then sat up to look over. It was Marlene.

_Must have thought I was Cloud…_

He slipped out of bed cautiously then slid his hands beneath the small child's body. Lifting her up, he held her carefully to carry her back to her room. Marlene released a soft groan, cuddling close to his body, resting her head against his chest. He waited for her sleep to become a little deeper before he made his way out of the bedroom. By the door, he glanced towards Tifa's bed. She was still asleep, huddled within the blankets.

Heading down the stairs quietly, his bare feet made soft, padded steps against the wooden surface. Marlene was silent and her body was almost sprawled in his grasp; her limbs spread and her head tilted back. Feeling uncomfortable to carry, Vincent adjusted her posture in his arms when he was at the bottom of the stairs.

In the children's room, he walked over to her bed then laid her small body upon the mattress. Catching something by the corner of his eye, he noticed Cait Sith on the kid's table. The robotic feline was limp and lifeless. Reeve must have been sleeping as well wherever he was at the moment. Vincent reached over to pick up the doll-like body then placed it next to Marlene. Instinctively, her sleeping body moved to hug the stuffed animal. His lips pulled into a soft smile as he watched her. Gently, he knelt next to the bed then pulled the covers over her then kissed her forehead.

"Sleep well…"

"My…so he has a tender side towards children."

Hearing the voice, Vincent stood up then turned around to see Tifa standing there, her body leaned against the doorway.

"She was sleeping next to me. In darkness and fatigue, she must have thought I was Cloud."

Tifa folded her arms against her chest just beneath her bust, a smirk lining her lips. Vincent cocked a brow, unsure of the meaning behind her expression. Seeing the bewilderment on his face, her smirk became wider then she finally went inside to sit on the edge of Denzel's bed. As the boy slept, she brushed his curls away from his face.

"If it were me, I'd probably do the same…or would have noticed, but wouldn't have cared."

Vincent was almost in disbelief in the last part she had said.

"…beg pardon?"

Tifa disregarded his question as she got up to leave the room.

"I'll prepare breakfast. You can find some clothes upstairs. We'll wake the children later."

Before he could speak, she left down the hall towards the kitchen. He shook his head then left the bedroom to go back upstairs.

Back in Tifa's bedroom, he mumbled, realizing that he didn't know where to look. He started with one drawer and noticed a set of Cloud's clothes. He closed it then proceeded to another drawer. Tifa's. A few drawers later, he found a drawer with clothing that fit him. However, unlike the few other drawers, the sizes in this one were not mixed and his size alone. Surprised, but he tried not to think anything of it, fetching a fresh pair of clothes to change into. He decided upon a pair of black dress pants and a red and black long sleeved polo shirt. He blushed to notice a set of boxers in the drawer as well, taking a pair before he closed it shut.

He was faster in changing his clothes this time; given that Tifa was nowhere near the room and there were no belts to deal with. Nevertheless, his hair was a problem. Fidgeting with his long, tangled heap, he went to the bathroom to grab a brush. He walked about as he combed his hair then stopped by a full-size mirror that was next to Tifa's bed. He watched himself in the mirror and observed what he was wearing. It felt strange to wear such clothes after wearing tight leather and a heavy cape for so long. Setting the brush down, he picked up his bandanna then carefully wrapped it around his forehead to keep most of his hair from falling forward.

Putting on a pair of slippers, he was ready to head back downstairs until a chest in the corner of the room caught his attention. Curiously, he walked over then knelt down. Brushing off the dust with the back of his hand, he opened it slowly. Within, he noticed three dresses and several accessories. He picked up a turquoise dress. It looked about Tifa's size. Setting it aside, he picked up the red dress. Judging by the ribbons bundled with it; he assumed that it once belonged to Aeris. The last dress, however, baffled him. The dress itself was larger than the other two and was a shade of lavender. It couldn't have been Yuffie's. He was sure of that. Once he saw the wig of the familiar blonde shade, a jolt of horror soon shot through his mind. Was it…

"Oh, you found Cloud's dress."

Hearing Tifa's voice confirmed his dreaded thoughts, a wash of images passed through his mind. What could Cloud have possibly been doing with a silk dress, a blonde wig, a diamond tiara, expensive cologne, and lingerie!

"I won't ask…" Vincent mumbled as he stowed the dresses back into the chest then stood up, dusting off his knees.

"Amusing aspects of the past, really," Tifa said as she walked over to him. "Kept to remember that even in hardships, there can always be fun moments. Whether or not Cloud enjoyed the moment."

Before Vincent could turn around, he felt Tifa's arms curl around him from behind. _She's…hugging me?_

"Come downstairs. Wake the children while I set the table. Just the four of us this morning."

She released him then left. He turned then stood there for a few minutes, perplexed with what just happened.

_Is she…? No…no…she can't possibly be…_

He made his way downstairs and back to the children's room. He woke Denzel first then headed towards Marlene to carry her with Cait Sith still in her arms.

"Vinny…? Where's Cloud?" She asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"Still out working," he replied, unsure of the true answer.

In the dining room, Vincent placed Marlene beside Denzel, who was already eating, then took a seat opposite to them. The gunman stared down at the plate before him, a soft crimson hue giving his cheeks colour. He hardly ever ate breakfast. Usually he would watch the others eat while he chose to recline against a wall; drinking whatever was provided to him, yet…today was different. The others weren't around to watch. Only Tifa and the children. He took in a soft breath then exhaled, beginning to eat.

He admitted to himself; Tifa cooked well. He had eaten her cooking before, but for some strange reason, he noticed the high quality of her cuisine more than usual. The hash brown potatoes were crisp, yet soft at the same time. The bacon was the same and the rest of the food was, well…perfect. After buttering the toast, he took his glass to drink, but paused. He tasted tequila in the juice. An uncontrollable smile ornamented his usually emotionless face. Tequila. She was humouring him.

Tifa sat beside him and watched him enjoy the food. She was delighted to see the smile on his face. She looked towards the children as she began to eat her own breakfast.

"Is everything to your liking, kids?"

"Yes, Tifa," they both said between bites.

Vincent was the first to finish, wiping his mouth and hands with the napkin that was there for him. He must have been famished.

"When was the last time you've eaten properly?" Tifa asked as she sipped in her own glass.

All Vincent could do was shrug in response. He didn't know. Tifa watched him as his attention strayed downward to his lap. She couldn't help but look at his lips again. Curiously, she placed a hand beneath his chin then turned his head gently, placing her lips against his. She yearned to feel them against hers, but kept the kiss short to avoid drawing attention from the children, breaking it off to resume drinking her juice.

Vincent was awestruck, in disbelief of what she had just done. He didn't know what to think of it; unsure of whether it was a friendly kiss or a kiss of affection. Other than that, a bigger problem had come up. Cait Sith was moving and clearly saw what happened.

----

_Aw. Like a family eating at the table. I wonder if this scares Vincent. XD Enjoy. More to come soon._


	4. A Feline's Advice

_Author's note: Have I mentioned yet that I like Cait Sith? For some strange reason, I used the little bugger as my cover healing character the majority of the time in FF7. People may think he was annoying, but hell, I adored the dang cat._

_Characters within the story belong to Square Enix unless otherwise noted._

_Oh no. A huge dialogue filled moment. Damn Cait Sith! Eheh._

----

"Ohmhmhmhmhm," Cait Sith snickered as he resided upon Denzel's bed. "Spill the beans, Vincent. What have you done?"

The two decided to talk in the children's room while Tifa worked in the bar and while Marlene and Denzel were outside playing.

"I didn't do anything."

"You kidding me? What explains the clothes, mrr?"

Vincent felt irritated with Reeve. Was he mocking him? _Stop using that damn persona and talk to me with your real voice._

"I am not in battle. It…couldn't hurt to wear casual clothes."

"What about that claw of yours? Where's that? Heeheehee! So there was an arm under there!"

"Cait Sith, cut it out."

"Did she pity you?"

"Stop it…"

"Ohohohoh! Were you sulking over the love you could never attain?"

"Cait…"

"Oh, Vince is lost. Vince is lonely. He just needs to be lov-"

"REEVE, STOP IT!"

Seeing the rage building within Vincent, Cait Sith's head slowly hung for a second as the toy body stood up upon the bed. The faint sound of frequency could be heard within him. His head rose once there was an audible 'click'.

"How did it happen?" Reeve asked calmly through Cait Sith's body, the volume low at first to test the audio change.

Vincent stared at the cat doll with narrow eyes then puffed out a heavy breath, falling back into a chair, his body leaned back and his limbs spread. His head tilted back, rocking a few times while he stared up at the ceiling.

"I have no answer to your question, but I would like to know too…" He replied, his voice a low rasp. "Who knows if it even meant anything, you know? I mean…Cloud."

Cait Sith moved over to Vincent then hopped up to sit on his lap, staring up at him strangely.

"Did you like it?"

"How could I have…?" Vincent questioned, actually feeling more uneasy to hear the questions coming from Reeve's voice. "It was a split second moment."

"True, true…but be honest with me, Vincent. If you had a chance to be with Tifa, would you take it?" Cait Sith slowly stood up, pressing his nose against Vincent's "To love and hold her in your arms and be more than just friends…would you?"

Vincent stared right into the toy's face with a sour expression. Silence. Cait Sith pressed his gloved hands against his cheeks and gave his head a soft shake as if to pry an answer from him. No response. He hissed a sigh, releasing him.

"I could use a drink," Reeve muttered. "We'll talk more when I come over there. I won't take long. I'm not too far away."

With a soft smack to Vincent's cheek, the robotic cat fell limp and lifeless upon his lap. Holding his cheek with a grunt, he picked up the toy to set it on the table.

"Reeve…"

He felt helpless. What was happening? Things were going too fast to comprehend. In fact, was there something happening at all in the first place -to- comprehend?

Vincent dragged himself out to the bar area. Once he was there, his heart skipped a beat to see Cloud by the counter, talking to Tifa. He wasn't sure whether to be relieved or heart-broken. Whatever the case, he didn't have to deal with the situation while the spiky blond was there. However, his relief was abruptly broken once he turned around to see Reeve right in front of him. He nearly jumped, but caught himself before a scene could be made.

"Oh brother," Reeve said as he placed his fists to the sides of his waist. "This truly is serious if even I can startle you."

He gestured him to take a seat at a vacant table far from the counter before he went to order a drink or two. Vincent watched him as he went to sit down and wondered why he cared. As Reeve returned, he sat across him, handing him a glass of red wine as a little tease to lighten the situation while he ordered himself a mug of light rum. The two sat there for a moment as if to make sure that they were sitting far enough so they wouldn't be heard by the other two.

"Your way of life is quite…petty," Reeve started before he took a small gulp of the rum. "Honestly, you roam constantly with little goal. Do you ever plan on doing something with your life?"

"I am in no hurry," Vincent responded, swirling the glass in his right hand.

"Right. You've been genetically altered, so now you're artificially 'immortal.' Such a sad excuse."

Vincent gave him a long, hard stare as if to ask 'Why are you lecturing –me-?'

"I have plans for the future to make things better for the world," Reeve smirked. "You'll see."

Vincent continued his silence. He had nothing to say. He didn't know what to say.

"She's looking over here," Reeve noted.

Vincent looked over to the counter to see that both Tifa and Cloud were looking at him. She smiled sweetly while his attention was more engrossed into what he was wearing and the lack of what he was wearing. He stared at Vincent for a second longer then continued to talk to Tifa while she watched Vincent a moment longer. It didn't take too long before Cloud said his goodbyes to go work once more.

"Well…of course, Cloud was looking over as well," Reeve added, his tone bizarrely serious. "Vincent, consider this. The love between Tifa and Cloud is still at a haze between sibling and romantic love. That being said, their love is more directly from Tifa and not Cloud. It's like a puppy following an oblivious small child…or a dog chasing its own tail, thinking that the tail belongs to another it could perhaps interact with."

"How crude…"

"That doesn't mean it's not true. Cloud has his distant tendencies. His way of 'protecting who he loves.' If Tifa realizes that there is more to life other than waiting for Cloud to love her, why not take the opportunity for _you_ to love her? Who knows if he is truly over Aeris just yet. If you think about it, your romantic points of views are quite similar. Seeing as how Lucrecia chose H-"

Vincent held out a hand in front of him to tell him to stop.

"I've heard enough."

Lowering his hand down on the table, he looked downward, never taking a sip of the wine. His face twisted as if he were holding back either anger or tears. He didn't want to hear any of it. He didn't want to think about it. Regrettably, it was too late. The seeds had been planted in his mind.

In one fell swoop, Vincent swigged the entire glass of wine then swallowed roughly. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand slowly. After, he rubbed his temples in an aggravated manner.

"Personally, I think you would look good together," Reeve said in attempts to comfort him. "Especially if you continue to be open minded about your fashion sense. You've known each other long enough by now. It wouldn't be such an awkward relationship."

Vincent looked to one side meekly then rose to his feet slowly to leave him. Before he did, he pulled some gil from his pocket to pay for his share even thought it was not asked for. Lost within himself, he drifted his way back upstairs to change his clothes. Tifa saw the sorrow in his behavior, which made her lips arc into a frown.

X-X-X-X

It was late and 7th Heaven had closed for the night once again. Night showers thundered briskly outside, the raindrops pattering against the windows quietly. Tifa was doing her last minute clean-up before she called it a night to sleep. Her mind wandered, wondering what Reeve and Vincent had been talking about. She wondered what could have upset Vincent. Wondered if he was okay. It was a busy day, so she had no opportunity to check on him after he went upstairs hours ago.

One by one, she put away cleaned glasses and plates. One by one, she threw rags into a basket to put them in the laundry later.

Satisfied with her cleaning, she carried the basket into the laundry room then placed it next to the washing machine. She wiped her forehead with the palm of her hand and turned to leave the room. However, she paused. In the darkness, she saw a familiar tall silhouette. Complete with cape and gauntlet claw.

"You finally come downstairs," she said softly. "Guess you'll be on your way now, hmm?"

Emotion had been robbed from his pale face and he made no signs of replying back. Instead, he walked closer until they were face to face. He looked down at her, his eyes vacant and empty.

Tifa cocked a brow then crossed her arms. She looked up at him and imitated his expression to mock him. They stared at each other stubbornly for several minutes until Tifa gave up with a huff. She stepped by him to leave, but was soon stopped by the cold claws of his golden gauntlet. As she felt the metal graze her upper arm, she realized that it was wet. He was wet. He had been walking outside in the rain.

"Vincent…?"

"I snuck out to have some time for myself to think."

He threw his soaked cape down by the laundry basket then pulled her close to him carefully since he was holding her with his gauntlet. He encircled her with both his arms then arched down to lean his head close to hers. He brushed his lips past hers before pressing them together. He kissed her lightly to give her a chance to resist. Instead, she linked her arms around his neck and returned the kiss. He was cold to the touch, but she didn't care. Their eyes closed in unison and they began to kiss more passionately. Within a minute or two, they broke off then kissed again, but kept the second brief.

Finally releasing their embrace, they stared into each other's eyes. Both filled with question, fear, and desire. Vincent stroked her cheek with his exposed hand then gave her a tender smile.

"I've decided. I shall stay a little longer."

----

_My thoughts were fighting each other upon whether or not I should have written the time break moment. In the end, my older sister just had to push me on. M'heh._

_I wonder if Reeve would really behave this way. Or talk that much, for the matter. I guess only Dirge of Cerberus could shed some more light to his personality._

_Did I mention yet that this is my first ever fanfic? I mean, I usually only use the game's universe with fan characters. Never the game's actual characters._


	5. Aeris' Chapel

_Author's note: Sorry for the delay, guys. Gaia online had consumed my mind the last few days I was still in Canada. (Speaking of Gaia, I wonder if I should write fanfics for that too. It will base around my webcomic, so it will be filled with humour and nonsense. Sound fun or do you all prefer my serious writing?)_

_I'm updating with a laptop right now. **I'm already in the Philippines, so updates will be pretty slow, if not non-existent, until August 18th, which is when I return to Canada.** I'm trying to write as much as I can before I sleep whenever I can. I'm sorry if this chapter seems scatterbrained because of that._

_Hmm…maybe I could draw scenes for this. Would anyone wish to see me try to draw anything? Perhaps Vincent's outfits, at least. _

_Characters within the story belong to Square Enix unless otherwise noted._

----

The next morning, Tifa woke up, bewildered with herself. She held her head then looked towards the other bed in the room. Empty, neat, and prim. No signs of recent slumber upon it. She looked down on the floor. Vincent's tattered cape and leather attire were folded tidily there as if he hadn't touched them the other night. Only his claw was missing.

_Was I…dreaming? If I was then…where is he?_

In truth, the bed was there for anyone of her friends incase they needed a place to stay. She only said it was Cloud's due to her feelings, but now…

Sitting up, she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes before she pulled the covers away. She heard Marlene and Denzel's voices outside. Going over to the window, she saw them playing with other children. Yuffie called out to them as she held Cait Sith in her arms. She threw his toy body towards Denzel then he threw him to Marlene. As more children joined in on the toss, the artificial feline could be heard letting our several yelps and gasps.

"Oooh-WHOA! Laddies and lassies! Please…! I want…off…this ride…now-OW!"

Tifa placed a hand over her mouth to suppress her urge to laugh. She continued to watch until she noticed someone standing by a small stairway. The long, jet black hair gave him away in an instant. It was Vincent, yet he was wearing clothing even she didn't provide for him. Curious, she scrambled to change her clothes then proceeded downstairs to go outside.

Vincent wore a black leather trench coat, a white dress shirt with three of its top buttons undone, black denim pants, a belt with a silver buckle, and normal black shoes. Cerberus hung on the belt in its holster. In his right hand, he fiddled with thin rimmed shades while he grazed a wall idly with the claws in his left. His eyes watched Cait Sith carefully just in case the children decided to become rougher on him.

Tifa walked over to him and started at his clothes. She was surprised, but found it cute on him, nevertheless. He looked at her in return then placed the shades on.

"It looked like you needed to rest. Since you were still sleeping," Vincent explained, "I took the kids out to eat. After that…Reeve and Yuffie noticed these clothes then thought they would look good on me. Before I could protest, I was shoved into the change room then they bought it."

He outstretched his arms to give her a better look.

"Quite honestly, I feel silly."

"Hey, I heard that!" Yuffie called out as she was juggling materia in front of a few children. "You like it. Don't lie! You'd look better without your gun and claw!"

Vincent rolled his eyes.

"I rather I not go outside without them."

"Whatever!"

Cait Sith was still going through his little horror in the background with the children. Up. Down. Up. Down. Left. Right. Left.

Tifa laughed softly then stopped as she remembered last night. She grabbed hold of Vincent's shoulders to pull him down to whisper level to make sure that no one heard.

"Vincent…in the laundry room…did we…?"

He looked as her for a second then took off the shades, slipping them into a coat pocket. He gently brushed her hands from his shoulders to stand straight. To answer her, he stroked her cheek the same way he did the night before then smirked.

"Were you that tired that you thought your mind was playing tricks on you?"

"…but…why…?"

Vincent didn't answer her. Instead, he walked towards the children to grab Cait Sith while he was in the air. The robotic cat's head bobbed from side to side until he held his head, giving a soft groan. She frowned upon this then turned to go back inside. Before she could move, he placed a hand upon her shoulder while holding Cait Sith in the other.

"Meet me in Aeris' chapel as soon as you can. We can talk there."

She looked at him curiously then nodded before he released her. She gave a soft smile then went back inside to have something to eat.

"Ah, now you're taking the risk, hm?" Cait Sith purred.

Vincent gave him a long, silent stare as if to say _"whatever."_ Before the feline could speak more, he threw him to Marlene to let the children continue their little game, commencing the stream of faint whimpers and gasps from the robotic cat. He watched the children play a moment longer then began to walk down the streets of Edge.

Doubt flowed through his mind. What was he doing? Was he actually listening to Reeve! Listening to a man who hides behind a cat…a toy.

_Augh…I won't back out now until I am sure of this…_

He saw children by the lifestream in the chapel where the flowers once lay. The 'water' sparkled and glistened to the light beating down from above. He sat down upon a center pew and watched. They seemed to be siblings. Two older children were aiding their small child into the shining liquid. Vincent assumed that the child was not allowed outside due to illness, which prevented him from being cured until now. The child was coughing and stained bandages were folded to the side upon the broken wood of the floor. Once the others poured water over his body, signs of recovery were almost instantaneous. All siblings cheered and splashed.

_If only it were so simple…for my problems,_ Vincent thought to himself, his lips curving just faintly into an almost absent frown.

The children splashed a moment longer then got out of the water, running out of the chapel with giggles, the one who was cured not too far behind. Once they had left, he rose to his feet then walked over to the lifestream. He looked down at the sparkled water; it was still rippling from the children's actions. Kneeling down, he dipped his exposed hand into the liquid then exhaled vacantly to himself.

"Care to share your thoughts with me?"

Vincent froze in surprise then slowly rose to his feet.

"Heh…I didn't expect you to come so soon, Tifa."

He turned to look at her then sat down on a front pew, tapping a single claw next to him as if gesturing her to sit down. She obeyed, looking up at him as if waiting for him to explain himself. He quirked his brows to this then placed his right hand on top of her head.

"You made the first move," he answered coyly. "Explain to me how you feel."

"I'm not sure if I can…" Tifa's frowned, taking his hand away, placing it on her lap. "It just happened."

"What about Cloud? Don't you care for him?"

"Of course I do!" Tifa exclaimed, making Vincent's expression narrow. She sighed, continuing softly, "…but…that doesn't mean that I'm chained to him alone. We've known each other since childhood, but does he really care for me the way I want him to? Cloud is Cloud and I adore him, but he's always so busy, so I give him his space so he can-"

"Are you saying that I'm just a replacement?" Vincent interrupted her motor-mouthed behavior, his expression twisting coldly.

"What? No!" she shook here head quickly. "Something…something about you just snapped in my mind. You're always so distant, yet you're so caring at the same time."

Vincent looked away slowly. He wasn't sure whether to believe her or not. _This reminds me so much of Lucrecia…_He silently sat there in a stubborn manner. He didn't know what to make of this.

Tifa was distressed to see the ex-Turk this way. Without thinking of the risks, she grabbed him in a hasty hug. He was stiff at first then slowly complied, hugging in return.

"Please don't think harshly of what I say…" she whispered.

Vincent scowled to himself stubbornly, petting her back gently with his exposed hand. He thought carefully before he spoke. It was as if his mind and heart were jabbing at each other within him. _Tifa…don't make me regret this._

"This weekend…would you like to go out?"

Tifa pulled away slightly to look at him in surprise.

"Get someone to work in the bar while you're gone," he continued. "Tell them that you simply need a break to take some time off for yourself. Don't speak of your true intentions. I don't want this to become a big deal. Prove to me that I truly have a place in your heart. Prove to me that I am not just something to fill Cloud's gap."

Tifa looked downward then leaned in to kiss his cheek softly.

"Vincent, where will we go?"

"Well, where do you want to go?"

"…Costa de Sol. I haven't been there in so long."

Just by the entrance, Cloud was about to enter. He stopped to see the two. Thinking it was nothing at first, he was about to go over to talk with them until he noticed how close they were together. He quirked his brows; the two were too focused on each other to notice him.

"Very well. Costa de Sol it is then. Just you and me."

Hearing these words from Vincent's lips struck through the spiky blond's head as if they were bullets. Before he could be spotted, he drew himself outside quickly, giving himself no time to think otherwise of what was just said.

----

_Disregarding the "canon" relationship between Cloud and Tifa is so hard. Oh…so…hard…Tifa would so not say that about Cloud. Would she? I have no idea since she's so fixated with him most of the time. It's like an obsessed drugging her mind._

_Hmm…a place outside of Edge. This will certainly be a free-for-all. No Advent Children reference. Just my mind alone since who knows how __Costa de Sol is after FF7._


	6. Costa de Sol

_Author's note: I'm back from my reunion. Anyone miss me? In truth, I'm actually rather sad to be home, but I suppose that's natural. It's hard to live in Canada while most of my family is in the Philippines. I'll be alright, though._

_Right when I came home, I got myself Dirge of Cerberus the next day. I finished it in one day. Don't worry. I won't give anything away. I would never do that. It's just nice to get a better understanding of Vincent's back-story._

_Characters within the story belong to Square Enix unless otherwise noted._

_(This chapter will be about twice the size of the previous one. Don't fall asleep on me. You might miss something good if you do.)_

----

"It's been awhile since I've been here. Longer than you, Tifa…"

"I can imagine…"

Entering one of Costa de Sol's inns, Vincent looked about by the entranceway; both his and Tifa's suitcases slung over one shoulder. He insisted on carrying both despite her disputes against it. Both cases were of the same, medium size and both black, but Tifa's had a blue ribbon tied around the handle while Vincent's possessed one that was red.

"It's just for the weekend, Tifa. I could have handled this on my own. You didn't have to buy me this bag and clothes for this trip…and…you know…"

Tifa slipped her hand beneath his crimson cape then pinched his wallet between her fingers to pay for a room. She turned for the counter, giving a soft chuckle.

"Oh, I didn't buy that much. We may even need to buy more clothes for you while we're here. Who knows if you had extra clothes or underwear on you," she said calmly as she took out some gil, disregarding the potential embarrassment he possibly felt from her words. "Until recently, all I've ever seen you wear is that uniform you have on right now."

Vincent turned his head to one side and said nothing in response. He leaned against a wall then just waited for her to finish, setting the baggage next to him.

"Miss, I'm afraid that there is only one vacancy at the moment," a boy at the counter said, fiddling with a keycard for the room. He looked to be no older than twelve years old.

"That'll do. We'll be sharing the room anyway."

"Well, okay," he mumbled as he looked at the two, pushing orange strands of hair away from his face. There was doubt in his eyes, in disbelief that the two were even going about together just by looking at their opposing appearances. "There's…only one bed, though."

Tifa turned her head to look at Vincent for a reaction. He looked at her with a simple shrug of his shoulders, his arms folded against his chest and one leg bent upward so that his right foot's base pressed against the wall.

"It's your choice," he said rashly.

She smirked coyly then placed the required gil on the desk. The boy exhaled a soft sigh as he took her payment then gave her two keycards encased in a thin card envelope. The number of their room was labeled upon the envelope itself.

"The room's on the third floor. I hope you two enjoy your stay in Costa de Sol."

"Thank you," Tifa nodded then looked to the gunslinger residing against the wall. "Well, shall we?"

Vincent stood straight then picked up their luggage. He let out a soft grunt then nodded. As the two left upstairs, the boy at the counter watched as the red tatters of his cape trailed up the steps.

"He looks like a corpse. Surprised to see a person like him in a sunny place like this…especially with a woman like that."

"Jolice!" a woman hissed as she came out of the room behind the counter. At an instant, she smacked the back of his head with a spoon. "That is not nice thing to say about a customer!"

"Ow! Sorry, mom…"

Vincent watched as Tifa went up the stairs. She gingerly played with his wallet in her hands. She wore a delicate pastel blue twist top shirt, a white embroidered skirt cut just below her knees, and a pair of blue beach sandals. She looked like she was ready for this weekend while he looked the same as he usually did. His eyes trailed down softly to the floor to this realization. He probably would have worn his uniform through-out the entire weekend if she hadn't bought him clothes.

The floor where their room was located in was silent; their footsteps against the wooden floor were all that could be heard.

"Everyone must be at the beach or shopping," Tifa assumed. "We'll be out as soon as we put our belongings away too."

Tifa checked the number on the keycard envelope then stopped by a door. She opened the envelope then handed Vincent one keycard while she used the other to open the door. She gasped at the sight of the room. In general, it was large enough to accommodate them both quite nicely, but the bed was…

"A twin size bed?" Vincent said, interrupting her thoughts. His eyes wandered about as he entered with her, closing the door behind them. "The couch appears to unfold into a second bed. I'll sleep on that if this is a problem."

As he placed their luggage and Cerberus upon the bed, she curled her arms around his waist as he opened his suitcase.

"No…it's okay," Tifa replied as her grip tightened. "The bed isn't that small. It couldn't hurt to feel you by my side."

"Very well. If you change your mind, don't hesitate to tell me," Vincent said then paused to look downward to examine the clothes she provided for him.

"I can't wait to go swimming," she said as she released him to open her case.

"You didn't buy my swim trunks."

"Oh, I know."

He quirked his eyebrows then stared at Tifa questionably. She grinned then shook a hand in front of her face.

"It's not what you think. It's just that I didn't want the others to get suspicious of me. We'll go out and get you a pair here. Just get changed."

Vincent obeyed her, taking some clothes in his hands then strode his way into the bathroom. Due to all the belts and layers of clothing he wore and the restricting space of the bathroom, it took him several minutes to change. When he was shirtless, he looked towards the mirror. His skin was milk-white as if he never let the sun touch his flesh. He slung a dark blue shirt on then began to button its black buttons one by one, starting from the bottom then trailing his hands upward. Removing his leather belted pants with his underwear; he slipped on a new pair as well as a pair of cargo pants. He backed up then stared again at the mirror. He didn't mind the shirt, yet the pants felt foreign to him. The design gave off a midnight camouflage style, using navy, steel, and royal shades of blue.

Once he was finished, he folded his uniform then left the bathroom. Tifa stared at him then lifted a hand to point at his face after he placed his clothes away.

"Not so fast. You're not done."

"Hrm?"

She held out a brush in one hand then pointed at his golden gauntlet and his red bandanna. She pushed the brush gently into his hands then proceeded to remove the wrappings from his head.

"Silly," she chirped as she placed the red wrappings on one nightstand. After, she places her hands on his shoulders then forced him down to sit on the bed, taking the brush from his hands to comb his hair. "You can't swim with that hunk of metal on your arm. Take it off and just leave it here. If you're concerned, we can take some materia with us to the beach."

Vincent winced each time Tifa caught a knot in his hair, which was ridiculously frequent. He grits his teeth in slight pain and annoyance as he removed the buckles of his golden arm.

"No…that will be unnecessary."

Tifa started to braid Vincent's hair once she was done combing, leaving the brush with his head wraps. Once she had finished, she twisted a red hair tie at the base of the braid.

"There. That's better. Your hair was such a mess."

"Instead of my hair feeling unkempt, I now feel…stupid."

Tifa scowled playfully then closed their suitcases to put onto the floor. Once she had left the bed, Vincent reclined back as if to sleep.

"Why don't you go swimming on your own while I stay here?" he teased as he closed his eyes and slid his hands beneath the back of his neck.

"Vincent, you're not getting off that easy. You're the one who asked me out in the first place," she replied, suddenly getting on top of him, practically straddling his waist. "Come on. Let's get you a pair of swim trunks now."

Vincent stared up at her then down at where she was sitting, a faint hue giving colour to his porcelain pale cheeks.

"You're certainly a spunky one…"

Tifa bent forward then slipped a black visor cap on Vincent to keep his long bangs from covering his face. After, she kissed his cheek, slipped off him seductively, then winked.

"I'm just giving this a chance."

She threw his wallet onto his chest then turned for the door. She grabbed for her beach bag she had kept in her case then left the room. He was surprised, but tried to hide it as he placed his wallet into his pocket. Getting off the bed, he slipped on a pair of sandals then followed her out the room, making sure his keycard was in his wallet before leaving.

Everything about Costa de Sol looked different to Vincent. The inn itself didn't exist when he was still a Turk. Many of the stores were probably added recently within the past few years as well. His lips pursed into a pout to realize this, letting Tifa lead the way.

Once the two were outside of the inn, Tifa looked around for a shop for swimwear. It took her a moment before she started walking down one direction. He followed, almost relieved that no one was staring at him strangely compared to before. This didn't stop the whispers his demonic hearing heard from people who recognized the two, nevertheless.

"_Isn't that Vincent Valentine and Tifa Lockhart?"_

"_Yeah, I think you're right."_

"_Wow. I guess even heroes need a break, but what the hell's he wearing? I didn't know it was him until I saw his eyes."_

"_Don't know. It looks like he's trying to look younger."_

Vincent sneered in annoyance, each whisper fueling rage in his mind. Before his anger could burst, Tifa had tugged him into a swim shop then shoved him in front of her.

"Go ahead and choose or else I'll choose speedo briefs for you."

"I'm sure you'd enjoy that…"

Vincent felt like a lost child looking for office supplies for a parent in a grocery store. Everything looked different to him. The designs in the male section puzzled him. He was used to seeing only swim trunks or scuba gear and nothing more. It took him awhile before he went for a pair of black board shorts with red lining its sides. He turned to look at Tifa then placed its garter over his waist to show that its length was just above his knees.

"Oh, sir!" a girl with a brunette ponytail working in the shop exclaimed behind him. "Those pants are too baggy for your thin stature. Here! I know one that would SO look better on you!"

Before he could say a word, the girl snatched the shorts from his hands then searched through the racks. While the girl was searching, Tifa giggled, showing Vincent a pair of trunks with playing card symbols adorning the fabric.

"I am not wearing something that makes me look like a game of poker."

"I know. I was just kidding," Tifa said as she hanged it back in place.

"Ah-ha! I got it!"

The girl presented him another pair of swim trunks with the same colour scheme of black and red, yet he quirked his brows to see that it appeared to be something skin tight fitting.

"It's called a speedo jammer," she started, rechecking the size before placing it on the counter. "You look like a guy who works out a lot and you're tall and thin too. It'll look good on you. I promise!"

Vincent was ready to decline and leave the store, but Tifa bought it with her own gil before he could stop her.

"It's perfect. Thank you."

"Lockhart, you little…"

"Stop being modest, Valentine. Have a little fun."

"You two have fun now," the salesgirl waved then threw them two sets of wristbands, a logo of the shop stitched on each. "On the house for amusing me. Stay good lookin' now, babe!"

Vincent's eye twitched as he was by a changing booth, his raspy voice nearly erupting from his lips once he heard the teen's words.

"Did she just call me-"

Tifa slapped a hand over his mouth then smiled sweetly. Vincent looked down at her then rolled his eyes before disappearing into the change room. He was faster this time upon switching his clothes, but he was reluctant to leave the booth. Curiously, she poked her head past the drapes then grinned widely. He looked into her eyes, knowing where she was looking. Grumbling, he turned away while inside the room.

"I'm not leaving until you finish changing. I don't want others to stare at me if I were to wait out there while you change."

Delight filled Tifa's head as she went inside with him. She folded his clothes then placed it into her beach bag. To tease, she took out a towel she brought for him then placed it over his head before she began to remove her clothes. She took her time on purpose, wondering if he'd try to peek on her. His body doesn't even twitch in any possible attempts to look; his body was faced towards a corner the entire time. Her lips curved into a smile towards his show of respect, finally putting on her swimsuit.

"Okay," she said as she took her own towel as well as a large, thin beach towel out of the bag before putting her clothes away. "I'm done. Let's go."

Vincent turned around then took the towel from his head. He couldn't help but look at her body then turned to leave the change room.

"You always look so…how should I say this…sexy," he uttered softly before pushing the drapes open and waited for her to leave first to lead the way. He still wasn't used to flirting. Especially with Tifa.

As she left, she patted his cheek, "You're not so bad yourself. Mmm…"

He blinked a few times then followed.

As the two walked down to the beach, Vincent couldn't help but watch Tifa, hoping he didn't look like a dog following his mistress. Her suddenly open behavior towards him baffled him. Was she like this with the others? This perplexed feeling inside him slowly drew in a flood of questions into his mind.

_Maybe she does have feelings for me. I…still need to make sure._

Walking down a small flight of steps, Tifa searched for an opening then placed the beach towel upon the sand. She took off her sandals then set them aside. Vincent did the same, but also placed his towel over his lap.

"You'll get used to it," Tifa assured him, but contradicted her own words of comfort by placing her hand over his crotch. "Never expected you to have a package like this. Wow."

Vincent stared down at her hand in silent shock, though made sure that it couldn't be read on his face. Even so, she could feel his surprise despite his resistance, drawing her hand away. Before saying another word, she rose to her feet then made her way to the water to swim. He watched her for a second then looked down at his pale skin, wondering if he was still capable of tanning.

"Vincent! What are you waiting for?"

_Augh,_ he thought to himself as he stubbornly removed the braid Tifa made with his hair, putting the hair tie around one wrist. He slipped the visor off soon after then rubbed his face._ I should have taken those shorts I saw._

Defeated, he rose to his feet then ran along the sand. Feeling the waves hit his toes, he dove into the water then swam over to Tifa. The water was cold against his skin, but the sun beating down from above remedied the feeling soon enough.

Tifa gave Vincent's face a single splash to try to stir up his playful side. He gave a bewildered look and sputtered until she splashed a few times more. He didn't like this. Not one bit. After several splashes later, he splashed in return reflexively to defend himself. This made her grin childishly, splashing harder. After several rounds, the two acted like children in the water. To Tifa, this was a mere game. To Vincent, this was like a battle he had no intentions of losing. He no longer cared about whether people were looking at him or not. All his focus was on Tifa and that was exactly what she wanted.

During their stay in the beach, Vincent drew up the courage to rent a surfboard. Tifa watched by their belongings as he curved through the waves. It was her turn to be surprised. Once he was comfortable, everything came smooth and naturally. He curled the toes of one foot along the nose of the board then curled the fingers of his right hand along its tail. After, he lifted his free leg and arm upward into the air. He kept this way for several seconds as the board glided along the water before moving back to proper position. He was trying to show off? A pleased grin of satisfaction on his face confirmed this as he sliced through the water and into another wave to keep his momentum.

After an hour or so, Tifa stood up then threw one hand forward as if to call for him. She had already changed out of her swimsuit while he was keeping himself busy. The sun began to set, gracing the skies with hues of yellow, orange, and magenta. The beach itself was more than half empty compared to before as well.

"Alright, you," she called. "Give it a rest. I'm hungry. Don't make me leave you here!"

Running back to her, Vincent shook the water out of his jet black hair. He held the surfboard in one arm while pointing for his towel with the other. Tifa tossed it to him to let him dry his hair a little.

"Can you return this while I go get changed?" he asked, resting the towel around his neck.

She nodded then held her arms out for the board. Once he handed it to her, she made her way to the booth quickly before it closed. Vincent spent his time trying to dry his hair before he took the beach bag to an empty change tent.

Removing the swim shorts, he sighed since he practically had to _peel_ the skin tight garment since it was still wet. Wrapping the towel around his waist, he tried his best to wring the water from the jammer before setting it aside. When he could squeeze no more from it, he dropped it by the bag then began to pat the towel gently against his nude form to dry his skin further.

Getting ready to put on his clothes one by one when he was dry enough, he heard the familiar laugh emit behind him. His heart spiked and his shoulder jerked for a second before he let out an exasperated groan.

"I should be used to this by now, shouldn't I?" he murmured, pulling up his boxers.

"Yup," Tifa said simply, licking chocolate chip ice cream from a waffle cone. "Nice butt."

Vincent shook his head in pity, putting the rest of his clothes on quickly then pivoted on one foot to look at her; a hand was outstretched in front of him, presenting a cone with vanilla ice cream.

"I didn't know what you wanted, so I bought something simple."

"Tifa, I thought you were hungry. This will spoil your appetite."

"Relax, Vince. It's not a lot. It won't."

Putting the visor back on, Vincent took the cone offered to him then gave a small lick, slinging the beach bag over one shoulder. The two left the tent together, both nearly resorting to seeing who could finish their ice cream first, a hint of competition in their eyes. It didn't take long for both sides to suffer a shock of brain freeze pricking their heads.

"Haha…it's nice to see you playful for once," Tifa declared as she rubbed one eye before she went to nibbling on the cone.

"I can be more than just playful once I'm used to who I'm around," Vincent said with his eyes squeezed shut to recover from the small headache.

The sky began to turn into a bright shade of maroon and purple with dark blue just across the horizon.

"Where do you want to eat?" Vincent asked as he stared at the sky, chewing on the last bit of waffle cone he had left.

Tifa popped the rest of the cone into her mouth, taking a moment to think of an answer.

"Let's eat at a restaurant," she answered. "Semi-formal. Not a pub. This is the only night we have that possesses no worry for the next day."

Vincent agreed with a soft hum as they headed back for the inn.

In his heart, he felt at peace. Being with Tifa without the fear of their gang finding out let him loosen up. Let himself give love another chance. At least he knew that Tifa was doing the same as well. Lucrecia never did this for him.

Back in their room, Tifa stretched out, an accompanied by a prolonged moan.

"I'm going to take a shower to get the sand out of my hair," Tifa said as she headed towards the bathroom. "Care to join me?"

"Don't even joke," Vincent replied as he knelt by the twin-size bed, sorting their swimwear into a plastic bag. Looking up, Tifa had walked over to him, holding out a hand.

"I wasn't trying to joke."

"Tifa…aren't you going a tad fast?"

"Vincent, please…"

Studying her face, he knew that she was serious; not even a smile was seen on her lips until he reached up to hold her hand to stand.

"Alright," he sighed. "Just a shower. Nothing more."

She nodded as she looked up at him then went her way towards the bathroom and waited. He bit down on his bottom lip hard; hard enough to make himself bleed a bit. He closed his eyes tightly in almost regret for giving into her, but forced these thoughts away. In one breath, he went after her then closed the door behind him.

Tifa was turning the knobs then pushed a small pin to test the water's temperature before they began. Seeing Vincent, she went right to him to strip him out of his clothes.

"H-hey! I can strip myself…!"

"Nuh-uh. You might back out. You can strip me in return."

Letting out a huff, he moved his arms to let her remove his shirt. In return, he reached out to pull her shirt over her head. Doing this made his heart race, blushing to see hooks fastened at the front of her bra instead of in the back. Swallowing silently, he glided his hands against her sides then unclipped her bra carefully, her breasts lightly bouncing into place once they were free from restraints.

Vincent was silent as her beauty robbed him from his voice. He held her bra in his hands as she tugged the cargo pants and boxers from his waist and down his legs. Trying not to appear too enthralled by the situation, he tugged her skirt and panties down away from her body when it was his turn.

Nude.

Together.

Lust.

Vincent looked into Tifa's eyes. He wasn't the only one shy of all this. He could tell. They both were stiff in place until Vincent forced words through his lips.

"We better not waste the water."

Snapping out of it, Tifa turned then pushed the stippled glass to enter the shower with Vincent close behind to close the glass door. The shower itself was small and most likely meant for one person alone, so the two stood close. This gave them both a hard time focusing on just cleaning up.

Sucking up his fear, Vincent unwrapped a small bar of hotel soap from its paper casing. Tenderly, he decided to lather it against Tifa's soft skin, starting from her back then to her sides since she was in front of him. A soft moan of satisfaction left her lips, making it harder for him to control his mind. He took his time carefully rubbing the soap against her body, but never dared to touch her anywhere that may seem sexual to keep himself tame.

When it was her turn, she seemed to have a harder time staying on focus. Her breasts ached in anticipation. She touched the contours of the muscles on his chest with one hand while lathering the soap on his skin with this other. Her lip began to quiver until she placed the soap back into his hand, turning away to let him finish himself.

Tension.

Heat.

Desire.

Thankfully, more shampoo had been provided to them while they were at the beach; normal bottles in place instead of tiny hotel complimentary bottles. The two decided to wash their hair at the same to save some time. Vincent used the shower head to rinse his hair while Tifa used a small rinsing bucket. In one false move, she slipped back against him, his hands grasping her waist by reflex. Dropping the pail onto the shower floor, she exhaled a shivered breath of relief until she felt his hands trailing up and lips brushing against her shoulder and neck.

He was the one to crack first, suckling on her flesh cautiously to keep from it chapping into a hickey. He held his hands close around her stomach, showing that he still feared advancing further. Giving in, she leaned her back against his chest and closed her eyes. She gasped to feel his erection brush against her thighs, making her arousal grow further.

"Don't be afraid," she cooed as she held his hands, pushing them up and onto her breasts.

He cupped her bosom shyly, feeling her small hands urging him to touch more confidently. Licking her neck, he gasped to feel her rear rub against his shaft, whether it was intentional or not.

"Tifa…" Vincent forced to articulate, releasing her body slowly. "No. We have to stop."

Snapping out of it, Tifa opened her eyes, turning off the shower.

"Oh…right…right…"

Tifa grabbed a towel and left the bathroom first to let Vincent relax his body. By a mirror, she used the inn blow-dryer to help dry her hair, using one of her combs. A minute later, he dragged himself out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. Both stared into each others' eyes then turned away, anxiety attacking them mutually.

X-X-X-X

Unfortunately, most of the restaurants in Costa de Sol were full and the two were forced to settle with a restaurant pub. Escorted to a table, the two couldn't help but feel awkward from their abruptly cut moment in the shower. A waiter looked at the two, almost getting the impression that this was a divorce dinner, but stopped to notice no rings on their fingers in the first place.

Vincent and Tifa ate silently, heartbroken since this was not in their plans at all.

"Tifa…I'm…sorry about what happened…"

"It's not your fault…I helped."

Before the two could start a conversation, a hand slammed the base of the table. Looking to their side, a familiar, fiery red head of hair was there to welcome them with another man not too far from his side.

"Fault for what, toots?" Reno said, spitting out a toothpick he had been chewing.

----

_If anyone decides to draw Vincent's outfits before I do, I'd be impressed and would give a bow. Maybe more if I was asked to._

_Holy crap, I just kept typing and typing and typing. This is so much longer than my usual chapters of this story. I wonder if I could have broken this into more than one chapter. I'm not sure. (In truth, my older, non-fanfic stories have an average of twenty or more pages attached to each chapter. This isn't as long, possessing only a range of eleven, so I guess the chap_ter isn't so overbearing.)

Whatever the case, I guess this story has become M rated because of this chapter alone. I hope I didn't scar people with that last part. Eheh. I couldn't resist anymore. Don't run away from me.


	7. Red Headed Burdens

_Author's note: I just had to add Reno somewhere, you know? Haha. To tell you the truth, I very much adore the Turks…maybe that's what adds my liking to Vincent as well._

_Characters within the story belong to Square Enix unless otherwise noted._

_I just have to ask this again. How's my English? Remember, it's not my first language. When I was in the Philippines, I swear I thought I was losing it. I spoke mostly in Tagalog and my English was so broken with slang and poor grammar that I'm embarrassed to think about it._

----

Vincent was silent. His blood red eyes were narrow and fixated towards Reno's and this scared the Turk heavily. This lasted for several minutes and made his body go stiff, thinking he'd lose a leg to the Ex-Turk if he even dared to move incorrectly on the stool he sat on.

"I…was just saying hello?"

The two sat in the bar area of the restaurant while Tifa was left with the rest of the Turks and Rufus, who was wheeling his way around in attempts to find a way out, yet Elena would wheel him right back to the table.

"Fine. Be that way," Reno mumbled as he swigged a bottle of scotch before pouring some in a glass, trying to calm himself from Vincent's glare. "Hey, man. Relax. We ain't here because you are. Just a mighty fine coincidence, is all."

Vincent continued to stare at him, waiting for an explanation. This drove Reno mad. To him, it felt like talking to a statue. One that looked as if it wanted to tear a hole through his throat, but still a statue. He tried his best to loosen up and grinned, forcing out a tiny chuckle.

"We just wanted to take the boss out of Edge for a bit. The fresh air'll do 'im good. Plus, we got pity points since he -is- Rufus Shinra. When they saw him in a wheelchair, bam! We got ourselves a discount! A big one to boot!"

Vincent cocked an eyebrow then turned to sip soda from a small glass. He wasn't planning on getting drunk anytime soon. He had to be careful; especially since he was going to sleep in the same bed with Tifa later that night. He wasn't doing a good job, however, as he nearly picked up one of Reno's vast sea of glasses, slightly out of focus from staring at him for so long.

"So, are you and Tifa…?" Reno nudged Vincent's shoulder cautiously and made a few snapping sounds with the side of his tongue. "You know what I mean?"

The ruby eyed man quirked his brows and sipped from his glass once more.

"No."

"Yay! You talked!…but don't go lyin' to me now, yo. Why would you two be here in a resort town like this with Super Boy Blond nowhere to be seen?"

Vincent rolled his eyes, subconsciously sipping from a glass that was already empty. Reno puffed out in pity then asked the bartender to take Vincent's glass, whispering to give him juice mixed with alcohol, wondering if the stubborn science experiment would notice the change between drinks. As he was handed back the glass, he didn't seem to notice as he sipped once more. He mind must have been far off into space.

"Seesh," the red head scratched the back of his neck in reaction to this then went back to drinking, pouring his own liquor into a tumbler, pushing dozens of used glasses away for the bartender to clean up. He was clearly trying to get drunk to forget that Vincent was suppressing rage. He was like a snake ready to bite his head clean off his shoulders.

Reno watched Vincent and tried to search for words to say. He let his eyes gaze up and down the Ex-Turk's figure. After a minute or two, he almost wanted to comment on his new clothes, but knew that the conversation would take him nowhere. Instead, he wanted to get answers. He wanted to know why Vincent and Tifa were alone together.

"If I were given the chance, I'd hit it," Reno finally said. "Yeah. In a heartbeat."

"Hit what?" Vincent asked, his eyes slowly leaving the counter.

Reno pointed back to the restaurant area where the others were.

Tifa sat next to Rude while Tseng tried to keep Elena under control. Rufus had wheeled over her toes and she was whining uncontrollably and hopping on the spot. She was about ready to drag him to the floor to wheel over his back, forgetting the fact that he was her boss and was only thinking about the pain.

Tifa sighed, looking up at Rude slowly. In return, he looked back at her. They were silent and it was awkward. Very awkward. She was blank and could think of no words to say as she looked at her reflection with his shades. He, in the other hand, rarely talked in the first place, so this was nothing new to him.

"Uh…hi, Rude."

"Hello…Tifa."

Reno and Vincent looked away from the table then back at their drinks.

"That's what I'd hit," Reno answered. "I'd hit that hot piece of ass any day."

"Rude?" Vincent said between sips of his second glass of the alcohol, still not acknowledging the switch of drinks. "…whatever floats your boat, I presume."

"Huh? Oh! Haha…ha. I get it, Vince. You were tryin' to be funny. Wow, that's a good one," Reno chuckled out, soon shuddering heavily from a mental image of Rude in his underwear. "I think I just scarred myself… …bah! You know what I meant. I'd go for Tifa."

Finishing another glass, Vincent lightly banged it down upon the countertop; the barkeep poured him more of the drink in response.

"So?" he muttered.

"If she ever gave me the tiniest opportunity to touch her, I'd screw her until next month."

There was another long pause between them, to Reno's surprise. Instead of yelling, Vincent just sat there. This almost made the red headed Turk reconsider his assumptions between the 'beauty and beast,' but as soon as Vincent's hand lifted, his assumptions returned as he found his head trapped in a vice-like hold between the Ex-Turk's fingertips.

"Know what?" Vincent said as he caught a handful of Reno's hair in his hand.

"W-what…?" Reno squeaked out quietly, his body shriveling at the thought of what might happen next.

Vincent guided his hand down along Reno's hair then leaned his head close to his, making the red head's eyes widen and blush. Just as soon as he thought he was just advancing due to intoxication, Vincent grabbed his ponytail, pulled his head back then slammed his forehead against the counter, making the glasses rattle.

"Don't -ever- touch Tifa. Don't even dare imagine such thoughts."

"Okay, okay!…I'm sorry! …geez, man. Ow."

Reno hunched forward in agony as he held his hands to his forehead. He took off his goggles; a faint imprint of its rims could be seen lining the top of his forehead due to the force of the slam. Vincent sneered at the small display of cringing and whimpering then stood from his stool to go back to the others.

"And Reno…" he said lowly, the rasp in his voice unnervingly calm. "As much as I am thankful for some liquor here and there…you're paying."

"Eh? You knew? …God! My head feels like it was hit by a car…"

"It wasn't hard alcohol. I'm still sober enough to know that you're an imbecile."

As Vincent left back to the table, Reno forced himself to sit straight

"So…I was right…"

By this time, Elena was still whaling about her toes. Tseng took a seat then forced her onto his lap in attempts to soften her whines, hugging his arms around her firmly to keep her still. She struggled and flailed her arms until she realized where she was, soon going silent to secretly relish the moment. Unfortunately for her, Tseng was oblivious to the fact that she was lusting for him. He only did this to protect Rufus.

"Tifa," Vincent suddenly whispered close in her ear, placing his hands upon her shoulders. "It's getting late. Let's get some rest."

"Yeah, you're right," Tifa whispered back, glad that he came before it got worse. "I've had enough of watching this. It's getting embarrassing."

"You're telling me…"

X-X-X-X

Back in their inn room, the two nearly sulked by the door, exhausted from being with the Turks.

"To think I was a Turk almost certainly when that drunk wasn't even born…or at least in his diapers," Vincent trailed off, taking off his shoes and socks. "Either quality died with the years…or with alcohol whenever it comes into contact."

Tifa giggled, which perplexed him a little.

"Did I say something funny?"

"Hmm? Oh…no, you didn't. I just find this cute."

As he was knelt down to organize the footwear, she leaned forward to hug her arms around him. He placed his hands upon hers, letting her rest her head upon his shoulder.

"At least Reno got your mind off of earlier."

Vincent had forgotten his worries, looking downward to think. When it hit him, he sighed, forcing a faint, but still apparent smile to lace his lips.

"I can't believe I did that to you," he said softly.

"I let you, though," she stated, releasing him to go change into a nightgown. "I wanted more too…"

He stood up to watch her, no longer shy to see her undress while he was present. Nevertheless, he took his attention away out of respect then proceeded to change his own clothes by the opposite side of the bed.

Taking off his jacket, his mind still seethed freshly in Reno's words. They danced in his head with high heels shoes instead of ballerina slippers, pounding into his skull over and over.

_No one can touch Tifa,_ he thought to himself, nearly tearing the shirt he wore since he was paying no attention to undressing._ No one. Only me. Only…_

Vincent's ruthless expression softened into a frown, realizing that he was becoming overprotective.

_What am I thinking? She is not an object…why am I so possessive?_

Vincent shook his head then changed his clothes hastily, sitting on the bed soon after. While he had been fighting with himself, Tifa turned on the TV, sitting on the bed with her legs curled towards her chest. Hoping she didn't notice his little moment, he slid over to watch beside her.

"What did he say to you?" Tifa asked without looking at him, flipping through the channels. "I saw what you did to him."

"Hrm? He was just being foolish. The usual."

Turning off the TV, she sighed as she placed the remote on the nightstand. Turning to look at him, she leaned close enough so that they were nose to nose.

"You're hiding something."

Caught by the close stare of her auburn eyes, he turned his head away, making fists with his hands.

"His perversion sickens me."

"And…?"

"I got overprotective when he made a sleazy remark…about you."

Tifa smiled then leaned against Vincent's side, snaking her hands around him to kiss his cheek.

"Huh?" he turned his head to look at her. "What was the kiss for?"

"You acted as if I was your woman," she smiled. "And this is only our first date. Never knew you could care so much."

He paused for a moment then bent over to kiss her forehead.

"The date itself doesn't matter. I've known you long enough to care in the first place. Now…we better go to sleep."

She nodded in agreement then turned to turn off the lamp from her side of the bed. He did the same with the lamp at his side. They looked at each other in the dark then turned away slowly soon after as if still shy despite their recent conversation. As the two settled down on the bed, they were slightly distanced from each other as Vincent pulled the covers over them both. Tifa had her back turned to him and he did the same to her.

"Goodnight, Vincent," Tifa said as she closed her eyes to rest.

Vincent did nothing to return the words at first, making her softly sigh in disappointment. Just as soon as she was drifting into slumber, warmth of his body encircled her as he embraced her from behind and pulled her close to his chest. His hands played with the lace of her nightgown then settled upon her slender arms. Her body tingled in response, squirming to turn to hug him in return, but he gripped her firmly in place to make sure that sleep will just be sleep and nothing more. He took a whiff of her hair leisurely and released a soft, low rumbled growl, his breath teasingly hot against the back of her neck.

"Goodnight, Tifa."


	8. Crystal Nightmares

_Author's note: Sorry for the delay. I actually started writing this chapter around August 28th, but I got busy with things. I still am busy, in truth. Just sacrificing sleep time right now to finish this. I don't like leaving things unfinished, so this is hurting me a ton._

_I am one of the creators of an avatar site called Halcyon Tears. We've been working hard for its official opening, so I've been drawing concept art for items as well as writing storylines for the introduction as well as a storyline for the Halloween event. There's still so much to do. I miss writing my personal stories. Also, I've been sleeping when the sun rises. It's starting to get to me…but it's fun to work with others, I suppose._

_Characters within the story belong to Square Enix unless otherwise noted. Like Jolice. The kid's my random character._

----

_"Lucrecia! Please, talk to me! Why didn't you tell me?" _

_Vincent followed Lucrecia all around __Nibelhiem._

"_What could I have said? I TOLD you, Vincent. It's none of your business in the first place."_

_Lucrecia didn't want him near her. Not now._

"_None of my business? How can you say that? I saw what was on that computer screen. It IS my business and I want answers now."_

"_Oh, not this again,"_

_Lucrecia threw her arms up in the air then turned to leave him. In a panic, Vincent grabbed her wrist firmly, gesturing his other hand to her._

"_Where are you going? Don't walk away from me! Please tell me what's going on!"_

"_Don't touch me! Vincent, I've had enough of you. Leave me alone!"_

_She pulled her wrist from him forcefully. Her face filled with developing tears, she ran to the front of __Nibelhiem, almost flying into Hojo's arms. She hugged him tightly, which shot pain into Vincent's mind and heart._

"_What's this? You've finally chosen me, I see."_

"_Yes, doctor!"_

_Vincent stared in horror, stiffly standing there in the distance. His face went blank and his arms went limp to his sides._

"_Lucrecia…are you really happy this way? As long as you are…I don't mind…"_

X-X-X-X

Vincent woke from the sound of seagulls outside. He opened his eyes gently, shifting his attention downward to look at Tifa. She was still sleeping soundly. He smiled softly then carefully released her, slipping one arm away from under her to sit up and look at the clock. It was only five in the morning.

_My nightmares…they never seem to intimidate me anymore, yet they continue to haunt my slumber…_

He looked back down at Tifa then leaned over to kiss her forehead. Slowly, he slipped out of bed then stretched. Looking around, the room was filled with an orange tint of light that seeped out from the thin opening from the window's drapes. The sun just barely began to rise into the sky.

Walking over to a table, he took a pamphlet from a pile then read from it, wondering what the two of them were going to do for the day. He looked over to the window, reaching over to push the drapes to look outside. Idly, he waved the thin pamphlet as if it were a fan. Despite how early it was, there were a few people already outside. A girl was jogging down the road with her dog. Not too far away, two children were running around with a map as if they were looking for something before the sun rose fully in the sky.

"Nnnrgh," Tifa groaned as she turned over in her sleep, hugging the blanket since Vincent was no longer there beside her.

He looked back at her then smirked. The room was still rather dim, so he chose to let her sleep further. He, in the other hand, was no longer fatigued. He went to the washroom to wet his face and brush his teeth. After, he quickly dressed into casual clothes so he could walk around within the inn. Before he left the room, he placed his gauntlet next to Tifa just to tell her that he went out.

Down the hall, he looked at the walls then the ceiling. The lights were strangely dim, several turned off altogether. Children must have been playing with the lights the other night, he assumed.

Treading down the stairs, Vincent heard talking in the lobby. The voices were feminine except for one, who was probably the child who gave Tifa the cardkeys to the room. Reaching the main floor, the talking stopped once he was seen. Three women were with the boy. Two were dressed in maid uniforms while the other wore a cooking apron.

"Hello again, sir," Jolice said shyly then looked up at his mother, soon slipping away from the women and off to the sit on a couch.

Vincent cocked a brow then folded his arms against his chest, looking at the women.

"Is there a problem?" He asked lowly, noticing that even the main floor was dimly lit.

"Oh, not at all," the younger maid said, politely bowing, "Just the usual chatter before we have to work."

"Are you hungry, Mr. Valentine?" the cook asked while staring at her child in the distance.

Vincent shook his head, his attention still to the lighting.

"Don't worry about the lights, sir," the older maid said, grinning bizarrely, "We usually keep most of them off at this time of day. We'll be turning them on soon."

"Is that so?" Vincent blinked a few times then shrugged to himself.

_They're certainly excessively self-conscious about gil here…unless they're lying._

He looked about. In truth, he was hungry, but didn't want to eat without Tifa just yet. He stood there, looking around silently, making the inn workers uneasy. Right before they were ready to slip into another room, he hummed to himself, causing the women to freeze in place.

"Hmm…do you have a gift shop?"

The maids sighed in relief then nodded. The younger one took out a key from her pocket then walked over to him.

"Sure. I can open it up for you, if you want."

Vincent nodded then followed the girl down the hall to a small gift shop within the inn.

"Are there other people working here?" He asked as he looked down one direction.

"Plenty. Either they're in the other floors or haven't come for work yet."

The girl opened the door then turned on the light, entering first. As he went inside after her, he looked around. The usual trinkets and batteries were set to one side of the store. Drinks were in the vending machine that was turned off until the maid switched it on. Candy was placed in rows near the cash register. Tiny bath products, clothes, and towels were set on the other side. Simple things to get by when people were in a hurry.

Vincent decided to settle with the trinkets, picking up a keychain. It was a tiny bottle with a shell and gold dust inside it. He quirked his eyebrows then placed it back. Nothing in particular struck him as anything amazing in the shop. Teddy bear. Key chain. Bobble head. Teddy bear. Paper fan. Teddy bear. Teddy bear. Teddy bear.

He was about ready to settle with a drink until something caught the corner of his eye. It was a crystal figurine nearly the size of his hand. The patterns carved along the body were tiger-like, yet delicately covered with a mane of a lion down along its spine. He smirked. Its posture and expression gave the impression of compassion and ferocity at the same time. It reminded him of Tifa.

"How much for this?"

"Huh? Oh! The adamant statue?" the girl jumped as if she were dazed. "That one's 5000 gil, sir."

"That's all?"

Vincent took out his wallet then handed her the gil. He looked back down at the figure, wondering if it was real diamond as she said it was. The crystal shine itself proved to confirm it. At least, it definitely wasn't cubic zirconia.

"Would you like anything else?" The girl asked as she carefully placed the crystal into a box, handing it back to him.

"No. That's fine."

He turned to leave, brushing past a worker who came to take over for the gift shop. Glancing around, Vincent noticed that it was much brighter in the inn already. He pondered how long he had been on the main floor, taking and elevator this time to get to the third floor.

Within the elevator, he leaned against the wall. Questions rose in his head once again. What were they going to do today? There were no plans and in truth, he was rather feeling lazy. Before he could consider more sleep, the elevator stopped. From the other side, Tifa was there. She leered at him playfully as she tapped a foot, her arms crossed.

"Went shopping without me?"

"Heh. Hardly."

He handed her the box cautiously then gestured for her to open it. As she did, her eyes widened in surprise. She took it out of the box then held it with care. After, she placed it back then positioned the box on a nearby side table.

"It's so…oh, Vincent. You shouldn't have."

He shrugged to himself then turned to go back to their room. Before he could take his leave for slumber, she hugged him around his neck, nearly leaping due to his height.

"Let's go shopping for you next."

"I'm not interested in more clothes."

"Hah. Silly. Let's look for something you'd like then."

X-X-X-X

Dragged into several stores in the outskirts of Costa de Sol, Vincent felt as if he was losing his mind. His brain felt as if it would melt out of his ears. Souvenir stores everywhere. Nearly all of them sold the same trinkets and cheap merchandise. Redundant. Repetitive. All. The. Same.

_Shopping during vacations like this…_Vincent thought to himself with an almost twitchy eye…_will not be accepted in future events…_

Several stores later, he was about ready to go back to perhaps go swimming until Tifa grabbed his hand. She tugged him slight to grasp his attention. Releasing a sigh, he glanced over and noticed that she had found a crystal shop not too far from a weaponry store.

"Hmm…wonder what kind of materia they sell," he pondered.

"You bought me crystal," Tifa said, turning her head to look up at him. "Why don't I buy you one too?"

Vincent cocked a brow at the thought, wondering what he'd do with such a thing…or where he'd put it since he didn't exactly have a place of his own for that matter. Nevertheless, he looked back at Tifa then saw the determination in her eyes. She was getting tired of looked around as well and seemed to be getting desperate. One side of his lips curved into a soft smirk.

"Alright, Tifa…let's see what they have."

"Great!"

Entering the shop, there were several cut crystallites mounted on several shelves. Materia was cased under glass in the center of the store itself. Tifa stood then looked about before she went her way to the small crystal sculptures, tentatively looking at each one. Vincent tilted his head to one side for a second before he went to look about with her.

"Tifa, you don't have to do this."

"But I want to."

Vincent folded his arms against his chest then shook his head nonchalantly. He wondered if she was sure about this herself as she hummed and mumbled indecisive words as she looked about each statuette. He was almost urged to point at the closest crystal he could see to ease her mind until she delicately picked up a wolf made out of garnet. Unlike the typical pose of howling to the moon, this wolf oddly posed in a different manner. Its stance was if ready to fight; legs spread far apart upon the rock and ground carved garnet upon the marble base. Its head was low and its canines were full bore, yet the ears were flat to show fear as well as the jerked shape of the tail. One of Vincent's eyebrows subtly lift, unsure of what Tifa was trying to apply.

"A creature trying to show independence," she mused as she slowly looked at Vincent, a playful smirk on her face. "Yet behind this exterior, lays a lone wolf afraid of being, well…alone. Even the strong have fears."

Vincent turned his head to one side and said nothing in response. He closed his eyes then tucked his arms closer against his chest.

"Hehe…I was reading the back-story on its label."

"No, you weren't," he opened his eyes to look at her again. "…you're right."

"Mm? You agree with me?"

He walked closer then held his hands beneath hers to observe the crystal wolf more closely. He knew Tifa's carefree ways. He knew she meant well and her words weren't intent to harm him. Staring into the gleam of the workmanship, he exhaled dejectedly as he saw his own expression inevitably carved upon the wolf's.

"Yes. I agree…"

Other customers of the store both dissipated and grew at the same time. Collectors, tourists, and adventurers made their way towards the proper areas of the crystal shop that appeased their needs. Most couldn't care less of Vincent and Tifa's presence, yet others couldn't help but notice. Nevertheless, the two paid no attention to anyone; even if they should have.

By the counter, Vincent hawked over the end result of the price, almost ready to stop Tifa if the price overshadowed or came close to the crystal he had bought her.

"That would be 9500 gil, miss," declared the salesclerk behind the counter.

Without even a wince, Vincent grasped one hand upon Tifa's shoulder firmly then held one of her hands with the other.

"Let me pay most of the expenses."

"Vince, I'll pay. This is my gift to you."

"Tifa, no. That's far too much."

"Vincent…"

"Tifa, please."

Before they could discuss further, two hands clutched them both from behind. The hand that held Tifa rubbed then patted her shoulder. The one who held Vincent was almost rigid and nearly ready to bruise flesh. Nevertheless, his more gentle hold on Tifa never altered.

"No. I'm paying," the familiar voice said almost monotonously. The voice pierced into Vincent's ears distraughtly, yet jolted Tifa's heart just as hard. "And the whole amount as well. No questions asked."

The two slowly turned their heads to one side to see who was there. Not just one, but two were behind them. Reno grinned and released her to pat her cheek lightly, but the other continued to grasp Vincent with the look of disheartenment in his eyes. Despite their secrecy, there was no way to hide it now. Tifa pulled herself away from Vincent then shoved Reno slightly away to voice out…

"Cloud…"

----

_Honestly…I'm sure most of you had to see that coming or at least knew it had to come down to this. Oh man. I really hope I can update with the next chapter soon. Apparently I have to re-write parts of Halcyon's Halloween story due to an increase of staff members, so that's a stab to my heart.__  
_


	9. Gentle Goodbye

_Author's note: Wow…I'm running out of things to say on my notes. I must think of something…_

_Oh yeah. I'll try to draw for the story on my spare time. I also may change the title again once the story is finally over, but that's not anytime soon. I swear. People may like my writing, but I hate my title skills. It's just not there._

_Characters within the story belong to Square Enix unless otherwise noted._

_(And for the sake of being random…DMC4 info is distracting meeeeee…DMC fanfic…should I? Should I write one? It would be a oneshot, though. XD)_

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During sunset, everyone was in the beach area since tourists were in other areas of Costa de Sol by then. Tifa was with Reno, infuriated and ready to throw him miles into the ocean. Vincent and Cloud, in the other hand, were sitting by the stone steps that entered the beach, both silent with their attention drawn downward to the sand. In one Vincent's hands, he held the garnet fenrir that Cloud abruptly bought.

"I can't believe you! Reno!"

"Tifa, babe! I'm sorry, girl! You got it all wrong! He came here on his own, yo!"

She didn't believe him or even gave him the time to explain the rest of the situation. She grabbed the collar of his jacket then forced him downward upon the sandy surface. Soon after, she placed a foot along his backside then proceeded to pull at his ponytail. Let the screaming ensue.

"So…did you come because of him?" Vincent's voice rasped as he brought one leg upon one step to rest his chin upon his knee.

"AAAH! TIFA! I ain't the reason he's here!"

"Well…you hear his screams, don't you?" Cloud answered, emotion robbed from his face; an expression even more blank than Vincent could ever accomplish.

"Then…?"

"Back in Edge…I saw you two in the chapel talking. I had to see this for myself…"

Vincent's eyebrows arched slightly, saying nothing in response. There was nothing he could say.

"Seeing you out of your usual outfit merely confirms my assumptions. You two are-"

Vincent held his free hand up to stop him. He knew what he was going to say. He didn't need to hear it.

"Well then," he started as he watched Tifa continue to torture Reno. "What are you going to do now that you know?"

Cloud rose to his feet slowly then looked down upon his gun-slinging friend. His lips were curved in a frown at first, but he tried his best to smile soon after. He held a hand out towards him slowly. Vincent tilted his head to one side then reached to take his hand, getting up onto his feet. They held their hands together as if to shake hands, but instead, there was an awkward silence until the blue eyed blond spoke up.

"Take good care of her," Cloud said with surprisingly more ease than expected.

"Hm?" Vincent looked down at him in almost disbelief.

"Vincent, I just don't have the time or the heart to take care of her. I can't fulfill the needs she wanted from me years ago."

"Cloud…"

"No. Look at her. She clearly knows this fact and has moved on."

Cloud looked to one side then released Vincent's hand to point at him; his finger pressed again his chest.

"Just one thing, Vincent. Fictional memory or not, don't do what I did to her."

"What might that be?"

"Never leave her, Vincent…"

Vincent's lips quirked in a sympathetic smirk then nodded. Cloud stared at his face for several seconds. After, he glanced toward Tifa and Reno then turned his body to leave the beach.

"You have to promise me this. Even though she's carefree enough to hide her pain, I don't want her hurt again…"

"Alright…I promise."

As soon as Cloud made a step to leave, Vincent grasped his shoulder tightly to stop him.

"Heh. Where do you think you're going?"

"Hm? I'd think you and Tifa would be better off without me in your presence."

Before the conversation could go further, Reno rushed into them, nearly knocking them both over as he hid behind them.

"She's gone psycho!" Reno exclaimed. "Keep the chick away until she's calmed down!"

Tifa stomped towards the three and glared at Reno. After, she took a deep breath, exhaled, then looked up at Vincent's eyes then at Cloud's.

"Cloud," she started, her voice quivered and caught in her throat. "I'm s-"

"Tifa, no," Cloud interrupted as he grabbed hold of Reno. "It's alright. I understand."

Her expression twisted into confusion, surprised with how well he was taking the fact that she and Vincent were now together. Seeing her bewildered face, the blond let go of Reno then walked over to her. He held her arms and pulled her close. It was as if he was going to kiss her lips, but strayed his direction softly to kiss her cheek. After, he hugged her close; almost in a way that made it seem that he didn't want to let her go for the world.

"I'll always be around if you need me," he said tenderly then released her, guiding her into Vincent's arms.

Vincent was awestruck. He was never in a position such as this, yet memories rushed into his head like wildfire. Memories of Lucrecia and Hojo long ago. One thought after another shot into his mind in almost disgust with himself.

_Am I…like Hojo in this relationship…?_

He cringed at the thought then hugged his arms around Tifa slowly from behind, making sure that he held the crystal wolf carefully in his hand. Just as he did so, Cloud patted Reno's shoulder roughly to signal for them both to leave. As Reno left with Cloud, he was disappointed and stunned by the turn out. He was hoping to see Cloud and Vincent tear at each other, yet that was clearly not the case.

Vincent watched as they left. He wanted to stop Cloud to ask him to stay, but forced himself to go against these thoughts. He knew all too well that he was hurting inside, which was why he was leaving so hastily. He shook his head then looked down at Tifa and she looked up at him. There was an awkward silence then they pressed their lips together for a second in a short kiss then went their way back to the inn.

As they left the beach and down the path Vincent observed Tifa's movement. He noticed a distraught expression on her face and her feet slightly dragged upon the ground. He frowned at the sight then jerked his attention down another direction. Someone was calling them. Curious, Tifa held his arm and they both walked over to the one calling them. It appeared to be a scrawny man dressed in an apron, fidgeting with a hat in his hands.

"Say, you're Vincent Valentine and Tifa Lockhart, yes?" he asked as he placed his hat back on.

This perked Tifa's mood a little, nodding with Vincent in response.

"Yes," she replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Someone told me to look out for you two a several hours ago. You two hungry?"

_Several hours ago? _Vincent thought to himself in disbelief, _Someone…Cloud? He planned ahead for us before he even found us in the crystal shop…!_

"Quite hungry," Tifa replied as Vincent continued to ponder.

"Great, great!" the man exclaimed as he turned to leave. "Follow me. The restaurant's just down this way. It's on the house too!"

Tifa's face lit up to the sound of this. Vincent gave a soft smile in relief.

As they followed the man, the restaurant he worked for was surprisingly one of the better places of Costa de Sol. Thankfully not a forcefully formal place, since it was unlikely that many locals and tourists would bother to dress formally in such warm climates anyhow.

"Wow, the prices on this menu are pretty high for just something a person would eat," Tifa mused as she scanned through the menu on the wall by the entrance. "And we're getting our meal for free. Do you think Rufus did this to make up for Reno's drunken behavior last night?"

"Perhaps," Vincent answered, not daring to say his assumptions.

As the two were escorted to a seat, he placed the garnet wolf upon the tabletop then stared at it for a second as he sat down. A soft smirk ornamented his face. He was almost certain the Cloud was behind all this. He looked towards Tifa; she was marveling the sheer fact that they were eating in such a place for free. Cute. Looking back down at his crystal statuette, he placed a single fingertip along its muzzle idly.

_Thanks…I'll keep my promise…_


End file.
